What is Collegiate Challenge?

Transcription

1 What is Collegiate Challenge? Collegiate Challenge is an exciting program that allows thousands of college students to use their spring breaks to travel to exciting destinations across the country to build homes with Habitat for Humanity. Participation in Collegiate Challenge enables students to put their faith in action, to build partnerships with people sharing a common goal, to gain greater awareness of the need for decent and affordable housing, and to deepen their commitment to social action. Through hands on construction, students work toward eliminating poverty housing from the world. Every Collegiate Challenge site provides a unique experience of local culture and quality, hands-on construction. During the week, construction on a work site may range from framing and roofing new houses to doing landscaping and renovations on older homes. On-site construction supervision is provided and building experience is NOT necessary. Students are often amazed by the closeness of a group at the end of the trip. After a week of learning new skills and working hard alongside other students, you ll find closeness between yourself and the other participants that can only be forged in the process of working together to help others.

2 Where We re Going We at the Purdue University chapter of Habitat are extremely excited about the Collegiate Challenge opportunities for us this year. We re planning on sending 40 Habitat general members, to four different sites we have chosen. These sites will be available to our Habitat general members (8-12 people per site for a total of 40 spots). These sites were chosen through a combination of past experience, location, and information we have about the sites. They are places, which we feel, are the best options offered by Habitat International this year, and everyone should have an excellent experience. Holland, MI (Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity) Approximate driving time: 3-4 hours We are located on the West Michigan lakeshore with several beautiful, sandy beaches nearby. Our home builds are in the city of Holland that houses Hope College. We are a college town with many quaint shops and unique restaurants in the downtown area.your group would be working on a new home construction or home repair project in the city of Holland. Work detail specifics will be provided to the group closer to the build date. Jefferson City, MO (River City Habitat for Humanity) Approximate driving time: 6-7 hours River City Habitat is located in the capital city of Missouri, Jefferson City, where you will find a city rich with historical traditions, great restaurants and friendly people. River City Habitat has served over 100 hard working families with new and refurbished homes. RCHFH has a strong volunteer base. Our Habitat ReStore is all volunteer as well and generates enough revenue to support 3 homes being built per year.

3 Wilmington, DE (New Castle County Habitat for Humanity) Approximate driving time: hours Through our unique approach, we help low-income families break the cycle of poverty through the stability and empowerment gained through homeownership. Our staff is energetic and friendly.wilmington has great restaurants, plenty of fun attractions, baseball, IMAX theater and beautiful parks. We provide safe and comfortable lodging. We will be building on a new construction site of 4 townhouses as well as rehabbing 6-7 homes. You will experience team building, learn new skills and great fellowship. Newland, NC (Avery County Habitat for Humanity) Approximate driving time: hours Located in the mountains of western North Carolina, numerous hiking trails, waterfalls and the county's Grandfather Mountain will be accessible to experience. Come prepared for any weather. We could be experiencing winter or spring like conditions. Work boots and gloves with multilayer clothing is recommended. Currently constructing three homes per year, come help us help families in need of affordable housing. How Collegiate Challenge Works Participation in Collegiate Challenge is awarded on a first come, first served basis according to the order in which applications are received. In order for an application to be considered complete and therefore reserve a spot for the trip, the application must be completed, membership form and dues must be submitted, and the first deposit must be paid in full. If these three items are not completed, your application is incomplete and you will not have a spot reserved until all of the items are submitted. Groups of 8-12 volunteers will be assigned to each site based on a combination of

4 participant preferences and logistical considerations. A wait list will be available for anyone who submits an application after all the trip slots are initially filled. In the case of individual cancellations, any newly available spots on the trips will be offered to the next person in line on the wait list. The trips will take most of the nine days that we have off for break, allowing for driving time and five days at the site. Transportation will be done through the use of two or three of your own personal vehicles per trip/group. This will enable participants to do a number of different things rather than just being confined to what the entire group would want to do. This also is the cheapest alternative and is the best way to defray costs for the participants. All the travel costs will be paid for through trip fees. The owners of the cars are required to keep all gas receipts to receive reimbursement after the trip, and gas will be reimbursed up to a total of $150 per car. If a trip is a farther distance away, this limit could increase, but this is under the discretion of Purdue Habitat. Any gas costs exceeding this amount will be at the expense of the participants. At the site, housing will be provided by the affiliate that you are working with, which will generally be either a church, volunteer center, or a house. Accommodations will include access to showers and possibly a kitchen. Work will generally take up six to eight hours of four or five of the days you are at the site. The evenings, and possibly an extra day, are free to see the sites of the area and have fun with your group. Expenses The cost of the trip is $255 per participant, or $185 per driver. If you volunteer to provide the use of your car for transportation of your group, we will give you a $70 reduction in the trip cost. In addition, gas expenses up to $150 will be reimbursed by Purdue Habitat after the trip, but you must keep all gas receipts for the entire trip to receive reimbursement. Again, trips that are farther away may have a higher gas reimbursement limit. These fees cover transportation, lodging, and payments to Habitat International and your site s Habitat affiliate. Some meals may or may not be provided by

5 the local Habitat affiliate; please be prepared to budget money for food, as most affiliates provide only a few meals or no meals at all, as well as for any additional optional expenses, such as visiting local attractions or eating out at restaurants. Traditionally groups choose to go grocery shopping and split the costs among themselves. The fee for the trip will be paid in two installments. The 1 st deposit will be $100, to be paid when you submit your application for Collegiate Challenge. The 2 nd deposit will be the remainder of your trip cost ($155 for regular participants; $85 for drivers), which will be paid in late January or early February. After Feb. 2, 2018, the 1 st and 2 nd deposits are non-refundable but transferrable, meaning that Purdue Habitat will return your payments only under the condition that a new participant (whose application must first be approved by Purdue Habitat) agrees to take your spot on the trip and submits all necessary payments. We at Purdue Habitat for Humanity feel that the price of a Collegiate Challenge trip is a better bargain than any other Spring Break opportunity. However, if the expenses are a legitimate issue for you, please talk to us. We do not want financial reasons to prevent anyone from considering a trip. We will look at it on a case-by-case basis and may be able to work something out if you truly desire to go on a Collegiate Challenge trip. Rules and Policies 1. Participation in a Habitat for Humanity Spring Break trip is open to anyone who would like to dedicate their Spring Break to helping build houses for those in need, while having a great time doing it. However, we do require that you are a member of Purdue Habitat for Humanity. If you are not yet a member but would like to go on one of our trips, you may still apply for a trip, but you will also be required to submit a club membership form with the $10/semester dues. We also highly encourage that you have participated with our chapter s activities in some way before Spring Break so that you are aware of the means by which Habitat for Humanity operates and pursues its mission.

6 2. We must receive your application and $100 deposit and membership form/dues (if not paid already) by Fri., Feb. 2, Please note that submission of the 1st deposit is a commitment on your part to participate in the trip, which we use to finalize reservations for the trip. However, we understand that in rare situations, circumstances arise that prevent a volunteer from honoring this commitment and participating in the trip as planned. As a courtesy, please make cancellation requests to Purdue Habitat as soon as possible. Please make sure you understand the refund policy written under the Expenses section. 4. As a participant of Collegiate Challenge, you will be asked to attend two meetings in either late January or early February. The first meeting is a logistical meeting in which we will collect important paperwork and go over miscellaneous details of the trip. The second meeting is a social meeting in which you will get a chance to get to know the other members of your group. The times and locations of these meetings will be announced at a later date. 5. The purpose of these trips is to help others, and while you ll have more fun on these trips than any other type, alcohol and/or drug consumption IS NOT a part of these trips in any way. 6. When on the worksites students are required to wear all appropriate and/or required personal protective equipment (PPE). PPE will be provided by the affiliates and Purdue HFH unless otherwise stated. Keep in mind to dress appropriately for construction work and according to the weather.. Close toe shoes MUST be worn on all work sites. Application and Payment Submission Process The application consists of 3 sections: Section I: General Information

7 This section will provide us with all your basic information that we might need in order to register you for the Collegiate Challenge trip. Section II: Preferences A. This section will help us determine which location to place. If you do have some idea of where you may want to go, you may rank the sites based on your preference. In general, preferences will be honored according to the order in which applications are received. However, we cannot guarantee that all preferences will be fulfilled, as other considerations must be taken into account as well. All the sites will be fun, so be open to any location! If you have no preference, leave this section blank. B. If you know that you would like to travel on a Collegiate Challenge trip with friends, feel free to submit their names here. At times, however, signing up as a group may restrict the site placement if certain sites are close to full. C. Please select Yes or No to let us know whether or not you would be willing to provide your car for transportation. This means that you will be one of the drivers for your group, but other group members will help with the driving if you are willing to let others operate your vehicle. The first 10 people who turn in applications with Yes will get the $70 price reduction, which will be taken into effect on the 2 nd trip deposit. Section III: Involvement and Interests This section will give us background information on your involvement with Habitat. Responses do not need to be any longer than 1-3 sentences. You may submit your application and payment either via mail or in person. Checks are preferred and can be made payable to Purdue University Habitat for Humanity. If you prefer to pay in cash, please submit your trip materials in person at our office during office hours or at one of our club meetings rather than via mail.

8 Mailing address: Collegiate Challenge Purdue University Habitat for Humanity Stewart Center, Box # Memorial Mall West Lafayette, IN Office location: Stewart Center Room B6-3 (Basement floor) Office hours and upcoming club meetings can be found on our website: (No postage necessary if sent through campus mail!) You will receive an confirmation when we have received your deposit, thus indicating that you have successfully reserved a spot on a Collegiate Challenge trip. Next Steps You will be notified of your trip location and group members in late January or early February. At this time, you will also receive further information regarding the pre-departure meetings, payment of the 2 nd deposit, and required paperwork. We are truly excited that you are interested in participating in Collegiate Challenge. If you have any questions or concerns, please us at purduehabitat.trips@gmail.com. Thanks!

9 Purdue Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge 2018 Application **Application due by February 2, 2018 with $100 deposit** The trip application consists of 3 pages. You may keep the informational pages for your reference. Please write legibly. In order for your application to be considered complete and to reserve a spot for Collegiate Challenge, This application form must be completed You must be a Habitat member (if you are not a member already, submit a membership form and dues with this application) A $100 deposit must be submitted Section I: General Information Name: Date of birth:

10 Gender (circle): MALE FEMALE address: Phone number: Local address: Permanent address: Year at Purdue (circle): Major: FR SO JR SR Grad T-shirt size (circle): Any dietary restrictions? S M L XL Section II: Preferences A. Please rank your preference in site (1-4) with 1 being your top choice. Leave blank if you have no preference. Holland, MI (Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity) Jefferson City, MO (River City Habitat for Humanity) Wilmington, DE (New Castle County Habitat for Humanity)

11 Newland, NC (Avery County Habitat for Humanity) B You may list up to three other people with whom you would like to travel to the same site. C Transportation I am willing to provide my personal vehicle for transportation, which will cut my trip cost by $70. (circle one) YES NO If YES, how many people does you car hold? Section III: Involvement and Interest A. Have you participated in a Collegiate Challenge trip or a similar work before? If so, please briefly describe the experience.

12 B Please briefly describe your experience with Habitat for Humanity at Purdue or elsewhere. C What do you hope to gain from this Collegiate Challenge experience? By signing below, I hereby state that I have read and understand all the information presented in the Collegiate Challenge Trip Information Packet and agree to comply with all rules and policies set forth. / / (Name Please print) (Signature) (Today s Date)

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